


A Past Life Better Left Forgotten

by Lovely_Shine



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), aphmau - Fandom
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Attempted Murder, Brutal Murder, Character Death, Child Abuse, Death, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, French Characters, French Sasha (Minecraft Diaries), German Character, German Vylad Ro'Meave, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Latino Character, Latino Dante (Minecraft Diaries), Latino Gene (Minecraft Diaries), M/M, Major Original Character(s), Minecraft Diaries - Aphmau, Minecraft Diaries References, Minecraft MyStreet - Aphmau, Minor Character Death, Murder, Murderers, Mystreet References, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, No Incest, No Smut, No Spoilers, No Underage Sex, OC, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past seasons are mentioned, Toxic Relationships, Tumblr is where I usually post this stuff, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, Vague mentions of past seasons, but not spoiled, references to past seasons, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovely_Shine/pseuds/Lovely_Shine
Summary: Aphmau and Co are assigned a large group project on the history of their world. While hanging out at Lucinda's house, the Shadow Knights grow bored and wander off, finding a locked room full of ancient artifacts. And magic that opens portals. But, as time goes on, the weird room fades from memory, until a body turns up, and another, and another. It's a race against time to find and stop the new beings, who resemble old friends, from taking over the world. If only Hyria had realized that past lives are better left forgotten,(Full Summary is in the Notes cause it was too big to fit here. I swear it's more interesting than this boiled down version makes it seem!)
Relationships: Aphmau/Aaron Lycan, Garroth Ro'Meave/Kim, Gene/Ivan, Ivy/Janus, Kai/Ein, Kawaii~Chan/Zane Ro'Meave, Melissa Lycan/Lucinda, Travis Valkrum/Dante, Vylad Ro'Meave/Katelyn Firefist
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Aphmau and her friends discover a secret of the past that honestly should’ve remained unknown. After learning of the time of Lords and Villages and Kingdoms, all the students are put into ‘random’ large groups to make huge presentations on this, for the entire school. Aphmau just so happened to be stuck with many familiar faces, even some she wished she hadn’t gotten put in a group with. While all hanging at Lucinda’s house, the Shadow Knights grow bored and go exploring, breaking into a locked room Hyria had kept to keep things hidden from her daughter, and the rest of the world. Inside was a journal belonging to a woman known as Lord Aphmau of the Phoenix Alliance. A book on Irene and her reincarnation, written by a certain Emmalyn. And then the artifacts. A large purple sword, tattered green scarves, an old music box that still works, and with them, a story unfolds. The school project suddenly becomes a lot more real as the group spot familiar names, and learns horrifying truths. But unbeknownst to them, when Gene, Sasha, and Zenix unlocked that room, they let out a dangerous piece of magic, one searching for a gateway of obsidian to rest in, and the people waiting on the other side weren't that kind. But, life goes on, and they begin to forget about it. Until a dead body is found, followed by more, kids they knew being picked off. Hyria learns what they did, and now it’s a race against time to send the Shadow Knights back to the Nether, before they can claim the lives of anyone else. They must awaken the power of their past lives to save the world, again. But this time, the enemies are those who used to be their friends, and they want to use their reincarnations as hosts, to roam free once again. Will they manage to save the world of a centuries old enemy, or will they meet cruel fates like in the past. Sometimes, past lives are better left unknown. If only Hyria could have accepted that, and rid the world of these artifacts, and the magic of the Shadow Knights, all those centuries ago.

A large group of teenagers, varying in age, size, color, and nationality all sat strewn out in the large basement of the ginger witch whose house they were using as a base and meet up spot to work on their gigantic school project. Their school decided to assign a school-wide, large group project on the history of Phoenix Drop and the surrounding towns and cities such as O’khasis and Brightport. The groups were chosen at random; at least, all of them except for this very group, which had been assigned by the invisible hand of fate with the help of the magicks teacher.

The vast majority of the teens were working, whether it’d be them reading through old history books from the library, researching online, or writing down notes and other things, they were all busy. Yet three teens, a senior and two juniors who believed they were above doing this, were all carefully slipping past everyone else unnoticed, quietly leaving the basement and shutting the door behind them.

They were finally free.

The man’s body, bound in chains, hung limp, as if he was merely a corpse. A shell of a human once full of life and breath. His eyes were closed, and yet he could still see the scene in front of him. They were there, all of them. Together in one place, one house. How? By what stroke of pure luck beyond anything imaginable were they able to all be in the same place as one time. Was this a blessing? Or a curse? They were unsure, but knew that having so many beings with power and strength as them in one place would not end well. Under his eyelids, red pupils slowly dragged across, tracking the process of the senior and his friends, watching them slip away unnoticed.

The chains that bound him to the brick of the fortress began to rust.

His freedom was drawing near.

The magic could only be contained, but never destroyed. Not by someone like Hyria, for even she wasn’t stronger than the magic that was just as old as her. It was beginning to wake from its slumber, pulsing and thriving. Something was happening, it could feel it. Things were about to change, prophecies were about to happen. The creatures of the dark were ready to rise again, and this time, their names would never be forgotten again.

The portal would awaken soon.

“Where did Gene and his goons go?” Levin piped up, breaking the concentrated silence. Heads all around popped up and began looking around, trying to spot the troublemakers.

“Maybe they got bored and went home?” Malachi, his brother, suggested.

“Or went to go get some snacks and drinks!” Zoey, their mom friend, added. 

Soon teens were all giving their own suggestions of where they went, and laughing at the more stupid ones. Yet deep down, none of them could shake the feeling that something was off. Wrong. And yet they let it slide, as most teenagers would do in this situation, returning to their mini groups to continue working on their history projects.

Soldiers stood at attention in front of the man, watching him beat a helpless rogue who had stepped out of line. ‘The poor boy,’ some of them thought, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. Rumors of this rogue were everywhere, who he was, what he had done, where he was from. Everything from big information, to small tidbits such as if he prefers vanilla over chocolate. But even so, he refused to submit to Shad. To turn back into a soulless killing machine he once was.

As a hand struck his cheek, he bites his lip to keep from crying out, and remembers happier times. He remembers a face, but the edges are blurry and most of it is out of focus, like a bad camera shot. A voice in his ear makes tears well up. It was them. That was their voice; they were out there. Waiting for him; he had to get to them.

He had to get free.

Hurry up! They were growing closer. Closer. CLOSER! They would soon free it, and then.. It would return home. It would allow those who have been dormant for years to rise up once more. It needed to be freed, to find the obsidian gateway. To get back to it’s home. The magic pulsed, and the room lit up a deep purple that almost looked black, so passerbys shouldn’t have noticed it.

But they did.

“Uhm.. Guys, is it just me or is that room glowing?” Sasha questioned, pointing at a door where you could just faintly see a purple hue to the blackness, it looked as if the amount of purple showed depending on if something breathed. Pulsing, darker and lighter, in and out.

Gene seemed drawn to it, his feet moving of their own accord. He reached his hand out, ready to grab the door knob before snapping to his senses. Snatching his hand back and holding it against his chest, Gene was acting like he had been burned. For a minute, he simply stared at the handle in confusion. A sickening feeling had washed over him so suddenly, like if he opened that door, horrible things would happen.

Zenix snickered at his sudden unease, and brushed past him, grabbing the door knob. “What? Afraid of the dark in there?” He teased, going to turn the knob.

His expression soured as he whined and stepped back. “It’s locked anyways. So much for a fun adventure in the purple-glowy room!”

“Oh move out of the way you imbeciles!” Sasha growled in fake annoyance, lightly shoving her friends to the side. She crouched in front of the door knob and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair.

While the girl worked on the lock, Gene and Zenix stood guard in case someone came. And someone did come.

“What are you three dorks doing out here?” Ivan questioned as he came upon them. He had been getting a glass of water, but got himself turned around on his way back, the now empty cup clutched in his hand.

“None of your business. We could ask you the same thing.” Gene snarled at him. 

Ivan examined the hostile school bully with an unamused expression. Gene never really scared him for multiple reasons. First, Ivan stood at 6’0”, so he towered over Gene, who was the tallest Shadow Knight, by four whole inches. Secondly, he’s seen Gene outside of school, and that's like a whole other personality compared to how he acted within school walls. And thirdly? Ivan has seen Gene wear and rock pastel colors on multiple occasions. How? He regularly hangs out at Gene’s house to talk about plans of chaos and mischief, and Gene grew comfortable with Ivan seeing how he prefers to dress when he’s at home. Last but not least, Ivan knew the three of them really were nothing more than dorks who people fear for some reason. Sasha was into witchcraft, Zenix volunteers at animal shelters and usually plays with the baby animals, and Gene not only wears pastel, but spends free time watching anime or playing dumb video games with Dante. Ivan knew the true sides of them that everyone else refused to try and see. And that’s how they got their power.

“Hello~ Earth to Ivan! You going to answer me or just look at us like we’re stupid?” Gene questioned, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. Ivan didn’t miss the slight jutting out of his hip that Gene did, and felt a smirk form on his face.

Ignoring Zenix, he calmly placed his hand on the wall next to Gene, leaning close to whisper in his ear. “If you want, I can make you look like more than just an idiot~ Tell me, how’d you think you’d look if I turned you into a begging mess of a boy?~”

Saving Gene from answering the inappropriate question, Sasha clicked her tongue triumphantly and stood up, turning to look at the three boys.

“Ivan, if you want to stay, then shut up, I got the door unlocked.”

“Awesome!” Zenix cheered, pumping a fist into the air and grinning wide.

Yes.. Celebrate little one, for the time has come. The fighters of the night will walk the Earth once more. And this time they will bring down Irene before she can stop them again. The magic grew darker in color and larger in size. Then.. it vanished from sight, becoming transparent as to not be seen when the door opens. It could sense familiar energy from the creatures on the other side. Especially one. It shared the aura as the prisoner, the failure. Could it be… some of the knights had been reincarnated? It was about to find out.

Stop! Don’t open the door, they’ll free it! The bound man tugged helplessly at his restraints, eyes blowing open as he seemed to suddenly burst to life. A terrified scream ripped itself from his throat, raw and hoarse from centuries of not being used. It startled the guard watching over him as they rushed to see what got the prisoner worked up.

Big mistake. When he got close, the man’s leg shot out, tripping him, as the rusted shackles began to tear from the wall. A struggle ensued, and the worn man reigned victorious as he stood over the corpse of what was once a guard. Donning himself in his enemies armour, he calmly walked to another cell and peered in. A white haired female stared back, purple eyes sunk and dull.

“Wake up.. War is coming, we must defend them before Shad destroys the world again.”

The rogue was tossed over a cliff, falling into the lava below. That was when he screamed. Then, he was gone. Warmth covered his skin, but not from the burning liquid. It came from the sky.. The sun. Tired green eyes slide open and travel upwards to stare at an endless mass of blue, cracked and chapped lips being graced with a smile for the first time in three Nethern centuries.

He rolled onto his back, too weak to stand just yet, so he just laid there and soaked in the sun, letting his guard down for the time being. After a minute though, he sat up and looked around the clearing he was in. Birds chirped, squirrels nestled and he? He felt right at home.

Until a voice broke the peace. 

“I’m telling you guys, I heard something big over here! It has to be a deer!”

“Deer aren’t common around here, Mickey. I bet it’s just some teenagers fooling around.”

The voices grew closer, and the rogue had a choice. Stay and fight, or flee and heal. He chose the latter. Taking off at a dead sprint in the opposite direction, the two hunters chase after him. In a sudden panic, he jumps, grabbing an overhead branch and hoisting himself up, using adrenaline as his strength. Scaling out of view from the floor below, he stopped, willing himself to blend in. They ran past him.

He was free at last.

Ash wandered the ruins, hidden deep in the woods. Resting over their heart was an intricate charm from their necklace, a powerful item they had sworn to protect with their life. Tilting their head back and looking up at the large castle, worn and broken over time, they smiled. This place might not have been their home, but it’s where those they loved had knelt before the Divine beings and were graced. 

They remembered better times. Racing Vylad through the forest, sparring with Gene, cuddling with Zane. Many things. Many things that they knew they’d never do again. Sometimes Ash wishes they had stayed in the Nether with their friends.. no… their family. And when they began to doubt their decision to leave, Ash found Sasha’s calming voice or reason echoing in their mind.

“Someone needs to be on the outside, and protect the relics from those who want to use them for no good.”

And then there were the others, speaking to Ash through dreams.

“I’m a wanderer, one day, I’m sure of it, I will return to you.” Vylad had whispered one night as the two laid under the stars, reminiscing, as Vylad left behind his amulet, his relic, for Ash to find in a time of need.

“We will be united once more, I’m sure of it.” Zenix told Ash, giving them a tight hug.

Zane never spoke, his actions were enough. Especially when trusting Ash with Esmund’s relic.

The other relics were dispersed around the island Ash inhabited and sometimes Ash searched for them, but was always unsuccessful. For they were hidden with magic that they couldn’t access until they were in mortal danger. The only one they had was Esmund’s to keep them alive and healthy, so that they’d never be sent back to the Nether.

Closing their eyes, they took a deep breath, filling their lungs with the fresh air. Ash sighed, exhaling slowly, the hair on the back of their neck standing on end. A soft growl emits from parted lips, soon turning into a joyed noise. They knew that familiar aura, even if it was faint, miles and miles away. Stopping at the edge of the water, looking out across the vast ocean in the direction that the village of Phoenix Drop once stood, willing themself to hone in on the powerful magic that suddenly appeared. A wanderer had appeared, and he was a familiar one. He had kept his word, had returned to the overworld to reunite with his sibling.

Continuing about their day, Ash approached the graveyard and stopped beside the beautifully crafted headstones, looking at the Irene statue atop of one. 

“They’re back, Lady Aphmau… The time has finally come.”

Calm eyes travelled to the two graves next to Lord Aphmau’s, brushing some moss away and reading them.

_Garroth Ro’meave_

_????-????_

_Katelyn Firefist_

_????-????_

“I’m sorry you guys went down in the war… but things are better now! Vylad is finally home, which means I’m not alone anymore! I miss all of you guys so much.. I just wish I could find the relics. I have Esmund’s but I can’t even find Kul’zak’s. I wonder if his relic moves around, just like him…”

They opened the door, and a gust of chilly air rushed out, sending shivers down each teenager’s spine. Gene was beginning to have second thoughts. He looked at the others, all of which had similar expressions of unease. 

Ivan was the first to regain his courage and voice, walking forwards and stepping over the threshold, Gene following suite. Sasha and Zenix were right on their tails as they entered the dimly lit, and crowded room.

Gene looked around and found himself inches from a gigantic sword. “Holy shit balls…” He whispered, feeling Ivan step closer, the two nearly pressed together in the small face.

After the initial shock, they began to dig out of curiosity through the items. Sasha ended up finding two tattered green scarves, mumbling about how it seemed like something the youngest Ro’Meave would wear. Zenix picked up a journal and read the name on the front outloud.

“Lord Aphmau of Phoenix Drop Alliance. Huh… Isn’t that how our Aphmau spells her name?”

“It’s not a common name.. Even among latino or other mexican families.” Gene told him, taking the journal and examining the name. He flipped it open and began reading random entries and phrases that caught his attention. 

“Garroth (As in Ro’Meave?) is still trapped in the Irene Dimension… Aaron stole E-something’s relic.. I’m pregnant with Aaron’s child, but Aaron is no longer arou- Wait… I spoke with Vylad today about Laurance, and he told me that as a Shadow Knight, Laurance is being called to Nether, to return back home.. I just hope Laurance doesn’t give in to the Calling, or Vylad for that matter.”

“What the actual fuck does all that mean..?” Zenix whispered.

“I don’t know, but I’m keeping this to check it out more.. Sasha, take that book next to you, it looks like it could be interesting, and let’s get out of here.. This place gives me the serious heebie-jeebies.”

The four bolted out of the room, Sasha making sure to lock it back, and threw both the journal and book into Gene’s bag. Together, with a stop at the kitchen for Ivan’s refill of water, they went back to the rest of the group, ignoring the stares of curiosity and growling at anyone who tried asking them anything.

The magic rushed past the kids. It was him! The Second-In-Command! And the Revolt Leader! Anyone who passed the magic speeding through the air got chills, and pulled jackets, scarves, and hats tighter. Soaring over heads, over skyscrapers, through forests and deserts. Home. That’s where it was going. And that’s where the story begins. In a simple obsidian gateway that, without the magic powering it, was only used for decoration in the abandoned tribal area. It nestled itself into the gateway, the cave being illuminated by the purple glow of the portal. And through it stepped a man and a woman.

The Escapee looked at his fellow prisoner, raising an eyebrow at her. “Are you alright? You do not look well, Willows.” He pointed out, looking at her slouched posture compared to his straight spine, spread feet, and hand on the hilt of his sword.

“I’m fine, I just need to rest, get some food, and a bath. I don’t know how you’re still holding up, you’ve been through so much worse than me.” Sasha muttered, looking at her accomplice.

He hadn’t changed much since being captured, and she could still sense the anger, the power, the danger that radiates off of him in waves. Red eyes met her purple ones as he gives the girl a lopsided smile, chuckling in a low, dark tone.

“I’m Gene Fucking Alejera, Shad’s Second-In-Command, some simple hits and a century without food or water can’t stop me. I’m a Shadow Knight after all.”


	2. The Official Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life went on, and so did Mystreet, but then, things started happening. And the first body was found while two of Aphmau's friends are gone, Gene is hiding a secret, and Vylad is presumed dead, but Shadow Knights don't rest, and are now trying to get used to this world before beginning their plan to destroy it.

Many years had passed since that day. The students had grown, graduated, and went their separate ways. Gene and his Shadow Knights ended up becoming part of a detective agency after Aphmau, Aaron, and Garroth helped them get a house and turn their lives around. Adulthood hit them hard, and they had gone from horrible bratty troublemakers into two fine men and a fine woman.

Aphmau, Kawaii-Chan, and Katelyn all bought a house together, Vylad soon joining the group of roommates after deciding to settle down for a bit, and now occupies their basement, sharing it with a scary shrine. Across the street, Garroth, Laurance, and Dante all lived together, Travis joining their household later.

Their lives continued. And then, it all went downhill. A mysterious figure at the lodge, emerald potions, demon warlocks, Ultima, so many things happened after they moved into their homes on Mystreet that made them wonder what they did to deserve the cruel fates.

Vylad disappeared, leaving to travel the world once more, and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. He never got in contact with anyone anymore, and it had begun to worry all of his friends, especially Katelyn, who had developed a crush on the younger boy, but was too shy to tell him before he had left. And then they heard the news. A plane had gone down over the ocean, and no survivors had been found yet. The plane… well, it was the plane Vylad was supposed to have boarded to come home. They knew this because it had been the only thing he had said to them since leaving, and had sent the plane name and course via text to Aphmau. 

Vylad wasn’t the only one who seemed to have disappeared. Gene never left his house it seemed, and Zenix nor Sasha would reveal any information about what was wrong with him, other than he seemed to have gotten a very serious sickness.

A sickness was putting it mildly. His tan skin was slowly being covered in red marks, and there was a constant pain around his neck, like a rope had been tied around it and tightened to the point he could barely breathe some days.

The bodies begin showing up soon after Vylad’s plane went down. It was a kid from Phoenix Drop that Aphmau had seen around quite a bit, a young girl in her year. Her corpse was nearly mutilated beyond recognition, but the pads of her fingers were left untouched, as if the killer had been careless when it came to concealing her identity. Or didn’t know about fingerprint scanners and databases. One of the biggest fatal injuries seemed to be a sword to the throat, slicing it clean open as she bled out, choking on her blood. From there, the murderer continued to torture and abuse her until her body had long since become cold.

The murder shook the town of Phoenix Drop to it’s core, and a memorial for the girl was held at her old high school, for those who had known her and been in class with her. Gene attended, but kept the marks hidden under layers of clothes and concealer. He was scared, because around the estimated time of her murder, his vison had blacked out, and he didn’t regain consciousness until hours later, and found himself laying on some forest floor. And he was covered in blood.

“Did you have to go that far with the body?” The Rogue asked, looking at his comrade who was cleaning one of his swords. 

“Bitch deserved it, you didn’t hear how she spoke to me. Like she was better than me. Pretended to not know who I was.” The other man replied coldly, not glancing up when a woman entered the room.

“Vylad is right though, Gene. You didn’t have to mutilate her as much as you did. For all we know she just could’ve been some unlucky soul who had never heard of Shadow Knights.” Sasha told him, handing both men the plates of food she had brought. “Zenix is outside looking for someone who can help us find a better place to stay than this abandoned building.”

“Good, this is no place for Shad’s second-in-command to be staying.” Vylad rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were royalty Gene. Want me to get on my knees and clean the dirt off your shoes, your  _ HIGHNESS _ ?” The young prince growled out, a snarl slightly visible under his scarf.

They were saved from a fight by Zenix, who walked in and motioned for silence. “Some guy took ‘pity’ on me and gave us money for something called a ‘hotel’, as well as directions. He also coughed up money for us to get disguises while we figure out where in the name of Shad we are.”

Thus, after they all ate, they packed their stuff and set out, following the directions Zenix had been given and arriving at the hotel-place. Sasha handled the talking and ended up getting them a room, while people stared at the three men dressed as medieval knights and rogue. The room was nice, two beds, a couch, kitchen, and bathroom. Gene and Sasha claimed the beds, Zenix took the couch, and Vylad settled for the floor. Tomorrow they would shower, dress, get some food, and then get to work reuniting with other Shadow Knights, and then… They would wreak havoc on this world and bring Shad back to power, killing whoever stood in their way or didn’t belong. They would regain their title and get their names into the history book. If only they knew how in the world this place worked. And what the heck are cell phones??


End file.
